Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Paatil on Sunday, 19 July 2026, highlighted the ongoing redevelopment of Kashi Railway Station in Varanasi, describing it as a landmark multimodal project that will connect the station directly to the Ganga riverfront by rail, road, and water.

Posting in Hindi on X, Paatil wrote: 'क्या आपने कभी ऐसे रेलवे स्टेशन की कल्पना की है, जहाँ से आप सीधे गंगा जी की लहरों तक पहुँच सकें?' ('Have you ever imagined a railway station from which you can reach the waves of the Ganga directly?'). He credited the project to the 'visionary leadership' of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Context

According to the minister's post, the Kashi Railway Station redevelopment is being undertaken at a cost of over Rs 300 crore. The project is positioned as India's only station to be connected simultaneously by water, road, and rail — what the post terms 'jal, thal aur rail' (water, land, and rail). A dedicated skywalk is being constructed to link the station directly to Namo Ghat and an Inland Waterway Terminal on the Ganga.

The post also describes a double-decker bridge coming up adjacent to the station, with train movement on the lower deck and road traffic on the upper deck. Paatil characterised the finished station as offering airport-like amenities for domestic and international tourists, signing off with the devotional phrase 'Har Har Mahadev' — a salutation associated with Varanasi, the city of Lord Shiva.

Policy Backdrop

The Kashi Station redevelopment sits at the intersection of several central government programmes. National Waterway 1 (NW-1), formally developed from 2016, runs along the Ganga river linking Varanasi to Haldia in West Bengal, and includes inland waterway terminals at key points along the route. The Namami Gange programme, launched in 2014, has funded ghat development and riverfront infrastructure in Varanasi, including Namo Ghat.

A broader railway station redevelopment drive, expanded from 2015, has sought to upgrade major stations with improved passenger amenities. Varanasi has also been a focus city under the Smart City Mission, with integrated urban and tourism infrastructure receiving central funding since 2015. The convergence of these streams makes the Kashi Station project a test case for multimodal connectivity at a heritage pilgrimage site.

Stakeholders and Impact

Varanasi receives millions of pilgrims and tourists annually, drawn to its ghats, temples, and the Ganga. Seamless connectivity between the railway station and the riverfront has long been a logistical challenge, with visitors typically relying on auto-rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws for the last mile to the ghats. A direct skywalk to Namo Ghat and the waterway terminal would significantly reduce transit time and congestion for this footfall.

Local transport operators, hoteliers, and the broader tourism ecosystem stand to benefit from higher tourist throughput and smoother visitor movement. The inland waterway terminal, once operational, could also enable river cruise connectivity along NW-1, opening a new tourism corridor between Varanasi and downstream destinations.

What's Next

The phased completion of the skywalk and the double-decker bridge will be closely watched as indicators of project progress. The rollout of additional inland waterway terminals along NW-1 is also expected to determine how effectively the Varanasi terminal integrates with the broader river transport network.

If delivered as described, the Kashi Station project could serve as a blueprint for similar multimodal nodes at other riverine pilgrimage centres across India, where rail, road, and water infrastructure currently remain disconnected.